Amnesty: Chinese Crackdown on Uighurs Continues

Uighur ethnic minority delegates in their traditional dresses pose for photos as they walk towards the Great Hall of the People for the opening session of the annual National People's Congress in Beijing, China, March 5, 2012.

Related Articles

Amnesty International says China continues to silence ethnic Uighurs who speak out about human rights abuses allegedly committed three years ago, during deadly riots in the western province of Xinjiang.

The rights group says "dozens, if not hundreds" of Uighurs are still being detained after they "disappeared" in the aftermath of the riots that killed nearly 200 people.

In a report released Thursday, Amnesty says Chinese authorities are intimidating and threatening those who seek information about the whereabouts of their relatives.

The unrest, which began in the regional capital, Urumqi in July 2009, was followed by a series of arrests and prosecutions that rights groups have called arbitrary, as well as a massive security clampdown on the region.

China has since doubled the province's security budget and installed 40,000 security cameras in an attempt to tighten its grip on the resource-rich autonomous province. About two dozen people have been sentenced to death or executed and others were given long jail terms.

The ethnic rioting broke out after Uighurs accused the Chinese government of inaction in the death of a migrant Uighur factory worker in southern China. Violence spilled out onto the streets with scores of innocent Han Chinese settlers attacked by mobs of Uighurs who, in turn, were beaten back by rapidly deployed paramilitary riot police.

Uighur groups say the violence was a reaction against years of unwanted Chinese rule and attempts by Beijing to commit what they call cultural genocide by flooding the region with Han settlers.

Mixed-race comedian Trevor Noah, who is loved for his edgy jibes about race and language, is taking the helm from Jon Stewart at The Daily Show in US More

This forum has been closed.

Comment Sorting

Comments

by: Wangchuk from: NY

July 06, 2012 11:55 AM

The PRC invaded the independent East Turkestan Republic in 1949 &amp; occupied the Uighur homeland ever since. Uighurs are treated as 2nd class citizens &amp; their religious &amp; political rights are frequently violated by the CCP. Xinjiang is now a police state &amp; is treated as a colony of China. It's no wonder Uighurs want freedom from China.

by: Anonymous

July 05, 2012 1:32 PM

Communist Han Chinese's aggression MUST be stopped. Else the Communist China will go out of control. Red Han Chinese should NOT be running free; they carrying a disease of centuries, Communism.

At this year's annual South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas, some musicians from Mali were on hand to promote a film about how their lives were upturned by jihadists who destroyed ancient treasures in the city of Timbuktu and prohibited anyone from playing music under threat of death. As VOA’s Greg Flakus reports from Austin, some are afraid to return to their hometowns even though the jihadists are no longer in control there.

Video

At this year's annual South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas, some musicians from Mali were on hand to promote a film about how their lives were upturned by jihadists who destroyed ancient treasures in the city of Timbuktu and prohibited anyone from playing music under threat of death. As VOA’s Greg Flakus reports from Austin, some are afraid to return to their hometowns even though the jihadists are no longer in control there.

Video

American warplanes joined Iraq's battle against the so-called 'Islamic State' in northern Iraq late Wednesday, as Iraqi ground troops launched a massive assault on Tikrit. Analysts say the offensive could take the coalition a step further towards Mosul, the largest city held by Islamic State forces. Others say it could also deepen already-dangerous sectarian tensions in the region. VOA's Heather Murdock has more from Cairo.

Video

Tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry in the Philippines. Close to five million foreign visitors traveled there last year, perhaps lured by the country’s tropical beaches. But Jason Strother reports from Manila that the country hopes to entice more travelers to stay indoors and spend money inside new casinos.

Video

The continued fighting in eastern Ukraine and the shelling of civilian neighborhoods seem to be pushing more men to join the separatist fighters. Many of the new recruits are residents of Ukraine made bitter by new grievances, as well as old. VOA's Patrick Wells reports.

Video

Islamic State fighter, a prisoner of Kurdish YPG forces, asked his family asking for forgiveness: "I destroyed myself and I destroyed them along with me." The Syrian youth was one of two detainees who spoke to VOA’s Kurdish Service about the path they chose; their names have been changed and identifying details obscured. VOA's Zana Omer reports.

Video

More is being discovered about the co-pilot in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps. Investigators say he was hiding a medical condition, raising questions about the mental qualifications of pilots. VOA's Carolyn Presutti reports.

Video

In cities with heavily congested traffic, people can get around much faster on a motorcycle than in a car. But a rider who is not sure of his route may have to stop to look at the map or consult a GPS. A Russian start-up company is working to make navigation easier for motorcyclists. Designers at Moscow-based LiveMap are developing a smart helmet with a built-in navigation system, head-mounted display and voice recognition. Zlatica Hoke has more.

Video

U.S. federal law enforcement agents arrested two suburban Chicago men accused of trying to join ISIS overseas, while also plotting attacks in the United States. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports from the Midwest state of Illinois, one of those arrested is a soldier of the Illinois National Guard.

Video

Traditional push-rim wheelchairs create a lot of stress for arm, shoulder and neck muscles and joints. A redesigned chair, based on readily available bicycle technology, radically increases mobility while reducing the physical effort. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Beatrice Yardolo was to make history as Liberia’s last Ebola patient. Liberians recently started counting down 42 days, the period that has to go by without a single new infection until the World Health Organization can declare a country Ebola-free. That countdown stopped on March 20 when there was another new case of Ebola, making Yardolo’s story a reminder that Ebola is far from over. Benno Muchler reports from Monrovia.

Video

Indigenous communities in Cambodia's Ratanakiri province say the government’s economic land concession policy is taking away their land and traditional way of life, making many fear that their identity will soon be lost. Local authorities, though, have denied this is the case. VOA's Say Mony went to investigate and filed this report, narrated by Colin Lovett.

Video

One of the films that drew big crowds last week at the annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, tells the story of the last human being to stand on the moon, U.S. astronaut Eugene Cernan. It has been 42 years since Cernan returned from the moon and he laments that no one else has gone there since. VOA’s Greg Flakus reports.